Friday Pussy Modern communications edition

Hard to write when you're having computer glitches, you know those gremlins that pop up and either cut you off or freeze your screen. It's a momentary irritation for an old Mac. Don't forget to upgrade unless of course you've upgraded to the very last incarnation that the system will bear or is it bare I get those two mixed up at times? No, we're in the age of a paradigm shift as I see it and blogging just may go the way of the BBS service of yesteryear. There's far better ways these days with Livestream, Youtube  and instant video communications. It's amazing that anybody still pays for a phone call from around the world. It's also one of the reasons I've been absent of late here at Casa Demeur. Why rely on Lame Stream media when you can pop over to some foreign land and talk to folks first hand in real time. Let's face facts print media is as dead as Gutenberg  and TV news is doing the swan song. But I stop and go no farther into the tweety faceybook arena because this isn't a jingle contest where the winner has done it in 25 words or less, this is about communications. And it's a sure bet old Willy Shakespeare is spinning in his grave. Don't recall his shortest verse but it's a safe bet it was more than 144 characters. Dostoyevsky might have made it had he come up with 3 letter story characters but one things for certain he'd have gone way over his data limit. (Crazy verbose Russians)

So until next time I bid ado the world awaits. LOL BBIAB CYA

Bank fails at the usual time... whenever that is.

UPDATE: No banks failed this week so the grand tally for the year is 24. And if memory serves the grand grand total is at 450.

Friday Pussy - Late holiday version

Digging through some information about the fukushima nuclear disaster I find that radiation has reached the Canadian coast. There is at present no accurate information as both our governments are hiding the facts from us. Canada quit keeping records and there isn't enough information from West coast monitoring to give a complete picture but one thing is certain, things don't look good. In other words enjoy your pacific caught fish while you can. It may be inedible in the not too distant future.

And what other wonderful things are there to report this fine holiday season? No unemployment extension for the lazy slackers who can't get a job. Hum wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that there are still 3 people for every low paying job opening? Then there's the over 50 crowd who probably ran out of benefits a long time ago and nobody will hire them anyway. But wait there's more. Should Boner and the tea bag gang have their way you'll see cuts to the food stamp program. All while lining the pockets from their corporate masters in the farming industry and we aren't taking about mom and pop farmers here. Nothing like kicking Tiny Tim when he's down then starving him to death in the process. Wonder how much they'll get for his walking stick?

Hope you don't shop at Target. After a lame excuse and apology just try to check about your store credit card (not that I'd ever want to own one). Forget the on hold music of the girl from ipanema you get the friendly recorded message of "call back later" just as it hangs up on you. Proving once again that there is no such thing as customer service. And if you are fortunate to get a live person just ask them what country they're in, if they have to think for one split second hang up on them because you'll waste your time. They have no authority to solve your problem anyway. Abu only makes half our minimum wage so what does he care.

So to all those politicians who raced out of DC after giving us the shaft may they choke on a ham bone and have their faces burned off from the flaming christmas pudding. Or better yet die slowly from gout. How fitting.

Bank fails

None this week they must have been busy dining on pheasant and champagne at our expense.

Friday pussy - pre holiday edition

Wholesale prices drop for the third straight month in a row.

Not buying that (pun intended). Aside from a few items at the grocery store that have gone down in price most items have gone up. Gas is down maybe 70 cents from what it was a year ago. The Fed keeps buying our debt like there was a fire sale in order to keep the banks afloat. So let's face facts, we're screwed. Might as well eat drink and feel merry because when merry leaves we'll have to jump for joy and joy isn't all that good looking :-) .

Let's face facts. The only way out of this economic mess is to raise taxes on the well to do and get back to work on one of the biggest remodels the world has ever seen. It's a wonder the Caymans hasn't sunk into the ocean from all those off shore accounts although that loot is only ones and zeros in a computer. Hell the Swiss could make a ski jump out of world currency and have plenty left over. Stop being so greedy.

And what report here would be complete without a jab at the right wing or as you could call it the wrong wing. If you thought the Grinch was gone or had a change of heart think again. The right must have watched the movie in reverse and magically the Grinch's heart shrank to pea size. So I guess Boner is starting to get flack from his Wall Street backers as he's now on board with getting something done. But don't be fooled, this does little for the little people other than saddle them with airport fees and cuts to their pensions. Those that are unemployed be damned and just where did you hide that jobs bill you spoke of so often John? More tax cuts to your big donors doesn't cut it. Oh! That's right I hear coal is quite cheap now.

Sorry for the light postings but some computer grinches of my own have been bugging me. Kindly keep your NSA paws off my computer. 

Bank fails later...
UPDATE: One bank failed this week in Texas.

Friday pussy - useless news edition

Sorry for the lack of posts lately but due to some technical difficulties and a lack of motivation... you get the picture.

Nelson Mandela has passed

I feel sorry for the guy. Not that he died but what they'll do with his legacy. You can just about hear Limpballs getting a loogie ready to spit on his grave. And if you don't believe that stop to consider that Raygun vetoed a bill that put sanctions on the South African government until it ended Apartheid. Had congress not overridden his veto history might be different. 

Sound of Music has 18.5 million viewers

I'd bet you get about that many watching reruns of Gilligan's Island on any given day. Got to suck up to the sponsors though and make it sound like a hit.   

Stocks jump after strong jobs report

I don't buy that for a minute. It's just that Wall street controls main stream media and every time there a fluctuation downward they have to pump it back up. You do know that over 90% of the stock market is controlled by automatic computer trades. So it matters not what's happening in the real world because trades are executed with no human input. The algorithms merely check for price points in the market and trade accordingly. Eventually all that cheap money flowing in from the Fed will slow down (remember banks can now invest your deposits without your knowledge or permission and you get nothing in return).

All Syria's chemical weapons destroyed

That's a load of BS. The article states that all "unfilled munitions" have been destroyed. That's a far cry from the actual chemicals. It took over 18 months to destroy just 15% of our U.S. stockpile here in the west and that facility was set up to deal with such chemicals. Since this operation is being done at sea I guess they won't worry about environmental impacts should there be a leak. 

Bank fails later....

Friday pussy - post thanksgiving edition (burp)

It's that time of year again when people stuff themselves then go comatose watching football on TV and lest we forget the sales at the store for stuff you probably don't need or want. Gave up on that years ago when things were about as tight economically speaking. Loads of useless stuff clogs the arteries of closet space. Is that a tie dyed leisure suit I see covered with dust hiding in there? Time to make a jaunt to the Goodwill.
Spend most of the day under the kitchen sink as the less than competent cook thought that potato skins would go down the disposal. They don't. And tearing apart the plumbing is no easy task especially with comments from the cook who knows nothing about plumbing.
So some holiday thoughts to ponder:

What to be thankful for this fine cold sunny day? About the only things left are that I still have a roof overhead some food and the utilities are still on. I never exactly planned on it being this way. I was so close to the finish line. Just three good years and I could have retired in relative comfort with a nice nest egg and a decent pension, but enough about me. I guess then we can all be thankful that we haven't survived a tornado or hurricane and seen our life's work blown away in an instant. Yes everybody says those are just things and you should be glad your life was spared but it doesn't address the reality of having to start over. That's an easy thing when you're young not so much when you're older. So maybe we can take solace in the fact that things are slowly moving in the right direction. It may not happen in the next year or two or even in our lifetime but we can all take satisfaction in knowing that we had a part in the process no matter how small. I'm a firm believer in Karma so do a kindness or two every day and if nothing else it will make you feel better as a person. Happy Thanksgiving folks.

bank fails later if there are any...
UPDATE: No fails this week 

Friday pussy - get ready for the crash

U.S takes flack for another drone attack on Pakistan. And like so many reports before it the numbers change from two to three then six. But what are we fighting really? We're trying to fight an ideology which is no more winnable than fighting a war on anger. No one on this planet should be charged with the crime of suspicion for if that was the case we'd all hang at some point, guilty or not. We've taken warfare to the point of a total lack of conscious but it set to go farther than that. Total unmanned UAVs are being worked on that require no operator at all. One has to wonder how that will work. Would it be a set it and forget it type system? Feed in some faces and hope the machine takes out it's target? No need for police, jail or trial, just the execution part. A sick thought but it's slowly coming true.

China just unveiled it's latest addition to the war machine with its' version a combat UAV called "Sharp Sword" complete with laser guided missiles. Got to keep up with the Jones I guess. Their fear is all the activity around Asia with countries taking up sides. A land dispute with Japan over an uninhabited volcanic island has nothing to do with property rights but yet another quest for oil. Maybe while they're at it they could take a minute to try and clean up the mess that's spewing out of Fukushima. Just a thought.

Lastly we have the financial mess which by the way was not corrected by the Dodd Frank bill. A little research shows that global debt stands at somewhere between $52 and $62 trillion but that's a paltry sum compared to the derivatives market which is now at $228 trillion. Lame stream media has done it's best to hide the fact that countries like Greece Spain and Italy are now broke and there's no way they can pay back the debt that was forced on them no matter how much austerity they endure. Can't squeeze blood out of a turnip. And note that Cypress is now accepting bitcoins that virtual currency because venders have no other choice. At what point the house of cards will fall once more is anyones guess. I thought for sure it would have happen by now.

Bank fails later...
UPDATE: No fails this week

Late Friday Pussy - closed for repairs

They just can't keep things simple. About the time you get the hang of it some nerd has to come out with his latest and greatest upgrade that of course doesn't work any better than the last lame version. Only the last version was a bit more stable and definitely more familiar. So what do you do when your system tells you that you've gone to the end of your upgrade abilities and you can't afford a new box? Here however it's been a matter of connection. Everything starts out okay for a few minutes or even an hour or two in the morning then the magic wifi demons take over and it's off and on for hours on end. Go ahead Mr Computer Whiz try a restart, empty that cache, reset the browser preferences and don't forget the router. Just see what happens when you turn it off and back on. Nothing nada zilch. Those blinky lights are there only to keep an idiot in suspense. Did I just hear it quietly laugh at me when all the proper lights came back on? Guess I shouldn't have given those nerds a wedgie back in high school. This is their revenge.

What do you mean I'm not connected to the internet and the page I was looking for can not be found? I was there just a second ago and the earth didn't disappear. And speaking of disappearing no bank fails this week but that doesn't mean your savings didn't vaporize with the latest tax or price increase. I see gas is going down. All well and good if I had someplace important to go. Oh I get it they want you to be able to get to a job interview that is if there were any jobs. A cruel lot those powers that be.

Friday pussy - Very late edition

 A japanese lawmaker hands the emperor a letter pointing out the disaster at Fukushima and the people surrounding him are shocked. They aren't shocked at the fact that this was a disaster but by the fact that this was even brought to the attention of the emperor. The idea that the emperor still holds such a high position (divine according to Japanese tradition) and that no one is permitted to even look at the man in his presents is absurd. The issue here as I see it is not one of protocol but of responsibility. These people put on thrones have little power but are mere figureheads, a relic of a bygone era. There will be no waving of a jeweled scepter or royal decree here. The best they can do is say how tragically sorry they are for such a misfortune and hope that everything will turn out alright in the end. 

So what about responsibility? It's the responsibility of a government to look out for its' people when they are unable. And it's the responsibility of the people to cooperate in the solution.

The government has a duty to keep us safe but at what cost? We need to look at the whole picture here. We were attacked on 911 but nobody stopped to look at the root causes. Why would a group of people go to such lengths to bring such havoc on the American people? It would have anything to do with all the dictators we've installed in the middle east now would it? Dictators who have oppressed their people for decades. And as extreme as they are we have our own over here. They are the extreme right of the republican party who would like nothing better than have everything their way. They delight in having no regulations that benefit society as a whole but only their greedy backers. When they cause mayhem with their draconian cuts they try to blame the victim. They bought out lame stream media here who parrot the party lines trying to make us believe that it's objective journalism. It's not. It's the reason so many are turning to alternatives. Not once have I seen a positive solution or even idea reported in the main stream. It's always how bad an idea is and how following it will lead to our downfall.

We cherish our economic engine like some god and maybe that's why our enemies attacked it. They know it's our sacred possession. We've lost our way in terms of what's really important in life or what should be. These are the things money can't buy like family or a love or a kindness. So maybe it's time for a re-evaluation of where we put our priorities. A fat wallet may be nice to have but in the end it's of far less value than what it can't buy. 

No bank fails this week

Friday pussy - late edition

Wars on drugs wars on people. There seems to be a war for everything. There's a war against women at least in some states. But no wars for the right reasons. Nobody is really attacking us although the powers that be would have you believe that little lie. There are no terrorists under the bed and once the troops are pulled out of the middle east, that is if they ever are, the "baddies" will have no reason to get their head scarfs in a bunch. Another "top" (pick one -  Al qaeda / taliban) leader bombed with a drone. These guys are like drug lords, politicians or cockroaches, you get rid of one and another one pops up to replace him. Forget the fact that once you start remotely bombing them you just create more when the neighbors and their kids get wiped out in the process.

Should we really be surprised at all the hostility in the world? It's easy to see how it all came about if you look what's happened over the last 25 or 30 years maybe longer. As far back as the 1950s when America was busy rebuilding Europe and Japan, remember there was no manufacturing left over there we had bombed it out of existence, which gave everybody plenty of work. All paid for with high taxes on the wealthy (something like 90% of everything over $100K if memory serves correct). That paid for everything we no longer have today like 2/3 of a college degree and let's not forget all the field trips for the school kids. But a more sinister aspect came with automation and the trade agreements that slowly made their way onto the scene. Soon factories overseas were rebuilt and they had the luxury of making the latest and greatest products with greater efficiencies. They were cheap at first as countries got back on their feet. Made in Japan was synonymous with cheap until the late 60s when electronics became a hot item. The japanese caught on quickly to western ways of manufacturing but went one step farther, they automated with robots thereby making profit margins higher and labor costs less. The U.S. had no alternative but to move it's operations overseas but at what price? 

Trade deals like NAFDA produced a "sucking sound" of jobs first to Mexico then to China. TV sets that had been made in the U.S. were first being produced in Canada then Mexico and finally China. Gradually our manufacturing power house was being dismantled bit by bit. Services were taking a hit too. ATMs replaced scores of tellers. Entire floors of typists were replaced with desk top computers. Cars that could once be fixed by a backyard mechanic now require an electronics expert and equipment that nobody can afford. Then there's the tech help call centers. Once located near a manufacturing center can now be found on the other side of the planet but good luck getting through and better still getting the right answer. I believe the term is now called customer "no service".

All this has led to our eminent demise and the frustrations we see. Every new dodad with more bells and whistles isn't making things better just more frustrating as just when you got the hang of one thing the new improved model comes down the pike only it's really no better than the last, just more complicated. There is an end point to all this insanity. When everything becomes un-repairably  disposable and there's no place left to dump it. 

Bank fails: There was one bank fail in Florida this week.     

Couldn't soap your windows or steal your garden gate Orson so...

Where the Samhain did this come from? People getting dressed up in disguise and roaming the streets for treats? It's just another of our silly superstitions. Fearing the shortening of daylight and the coming of winter it was an odd celebration of the end of harvest. Huge bonfires were lit presumably to scare off evil spirits and people dressed in elaborate animal skins and heads in an attempt to disguise themselves from the real spirits and demons, or so it's reported. 

And what post here wouldn't be complete without at least one wooden stake waved at the other side of the aisle, silver bullets are far too expensive these days. Anybody know of a good exorcist? We laugh at superstitions as being just that, silly old folk lore, but it's not stopped the perpetuation of the illogical. Solving the health care problem by not providing it makes about as much sense as helping a bleeding victim with the use of blood letting. You know how that one will turn out.

So while the kiddies are all snug in their beds having walked miles with bags full of candy, a more sinister demon is lurking. No, not some greasy pedophile hiding in the bushes outside a bedroom window but a bunch of demented congressmen who'd have you believe night is day and day is night. They'd like nothing better than to steal your pensions, lower salaries and eliminate what's left of the last remaining safety nets. No imagined ghost or goblin could be more scary than that. Oh did I mention that tomorrow as a real trick (there are no treats these days) they'll be cutting off a nice chunk of food stamps to the kiddies. So I hope the kids have bursting candy bags because it may be all they have to eat for the foreseeable future. When will the rest of society take up pitch forks and torches and go after these monsters? That's anybody's guess. In the mean time staple some tea bags to your front door and have a three corner hat at the ready. You just might fool them until help arrives. 

Friday pussy - Lions tigers and bears edition

Everything seems to be a flub up. Nothing seems right. Which leads one to believe that this was the result of years of practice. This didn't happen over night. Pick any story any news item and it's a safe bet that it was a concerted effort. Forget weapons of mass destruction we have mass stupidity now and everybody has a say. Psychosis was once treated at a mental hospital. Now it's set on a pedestal and fed to us on a daily basis. How crazy is it to say that having health care will kill you? And forget the investigations because how many times has a product failed to meet customers expectations right out of the box? The sun didn't stop shinning when they rolled out Medicare part D and there were no blue ribbon panels then to get to the bottom of things.

Hurry up and change the carnival fatalities headline before mom and dad sees it. The promoter will be livid if he doesn't make quota this year. Note from the editor never place such an article on the front page if possible the circus won't buy anymore ad space. And why didn't little Billy get along with his teacher, now gunned down at the school, he was such a nice quiet boy?

My spy's better than your spy. How silly it is for the powers that be wanting to gather up every scrap of information from online tweets to the last sigh of a lover's phone conversation. Should we be concerned? Of course we should. It's all about that six degrees of separation. When you accidentally dialed Sabu at the local Quickie Mart your name was then tied to everybody he knows and by logic it's safe to say that he's connected no matter how indirectly to an extremist group. It's that friend of a friend of a friend thing going on here. Makes you want to be a hermit for cripes sake.  

But back to the flub ups. Where did we go wrong? It's all the examples we've set in the last 40 or 50 years. First off is that might makes right. We see that every day on TV and the movies and the net. He who has the most fire power wins and it doesn't matter the situation. Second debacle was promoting cheating and lying are perfectly acceptable. It's what they teach in Harvard business ethics. Just don't get caught and if you do there's a lawyer who'll lie and cheat for you. You can even get away with murder with the right legal team but you'd better have the bucks or it's a one way trip to the slammer. You can't openly steal money from customers but should you come up with an investment vehicle that's impossible to understand yet guaranteed to make you a killing then you're set for life. Just make sure you're too big to fail and too big to jail.

Bank fails later... 
UPDATE: No fails this week    

Report from the emerald city - well almost

A look with jaded eye upon the news of the world but I'm no green cub reporter ya know.

You know there's nothing to write about when the headline crawl includes the latest misadventures of Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus or Britany Spears. Sorry guys they're just about at the end of their shelf life. So don't be surprised if one of their next stunts involves riding naked on a white horse down main street. Got to do something to revive your ratings you know. Maybe a little more exercise would do wonders for the middle age pounch.

And while you were busy watching your pennies roll down the rabbit hole of debt, CEOs took home a banner year of bucks some toping a billion dollars. And for what you might ask? Basically doing nothing. Ear wax has a greater function in this world than these guys. They do little other than use up air and food that could be put to better use. Mold has more redeeming qualities if you ask me. But let's not forget the talking heads that promote these jokers. You will note that the bulk of them are far from drug and alcohol free which must be a cheap pay off for the vitriol they spew. Gee thought it was too early for vampires and zombies. Must be mistaken. But fear not Facebook now allows beheading videos so all must be right with the world, or not.

Those jobless figures are a bunch of bull. Reported at 7.2% the real figure is closer to 20%. How is that? When someone's unemployment runs out they are no longer counted. I know of at least 4 people on my street who fall into that category. About the only jobs left are in trucking or health care and those people are too old for that type of work. Then there's the idiots in DC who think it's a great idea to play the shut down and debt ceiling game once more in January. That definitely put the breaks on hiring. Watch the sales figures for the upcoming holiday season. Once the BS numbers are given just after Christmas, the revised numbers will come out in January and they won't be good. People are pissed at congress and worried they won't have a job come the new year. You think they'll buy the usual useless crap they sell around the holidays? Me thinks not. 

Hit the road Jack

Dear senators and congressmen

It has come to my attention that you make far more than 8 times what someone at the federal poverty level makes in earnings and with local taxes and fees going up those people have no other choice but to seek assistance from the government. Since you in congress have voted down any bill to provide jobs and the burden of educational costs have been shifted to students and their parents over the last 30 or 40 years, it only makes sense that you resign from office and let someone else take on the task. You do after all seem to hate government by your last recent actions. And you seem to have forgotten that government actually does provide services for everyone. Closing down the parks and blaming the park rangers didn't score you any points. You may pander to the very ignorant but the rest of America isn't that stupid.

So please congress people hang up your legislative hats and go home. You've surely milked the American public of more than enough to retire and most of you aren't getting any younger. Call it quits and let some young blood in there who might accomplish a kind act or two. As obstructionist as you people have been the last 5 years, the American public is looking for another party to vote for and I don't think you'll like it. We're sick of wars. We're tired of being treated like the enemy with airport pat downs and our email spied on. Yes we do want health care but not on your terms with a cheap chit to pay for it. Your idea of a $5000 voucher wouldn't pay for one root canal much less full medical coverage. And sorry but I can't borrow $10 million from my parents to start a business either. You have become blinded by all the PAC money thrown at you. Money that doesn't even have to be used for campaign purposes as we now have found out. The conflicts of interests in DC of late are mind boggling. You get inside information about companies then profit from the legislation you enact and often times that legislation is written verbatim by the companies you say you regulate.

So keep ignoring us at your own peril. You've trashed a nation with no regard to anyone but your supporters, a wealthy elite. There are those of us on both sides of the political spectrum who are fed up with your game and once we come together your days in congress are over. I believe there are enough of us to put an end to this nonsense by voting you out. Call this bi partisan hatred of what you've done to this country. To those on the right who obstructed and those on the left who let the minority get away with it it's time for a congressional shut down and reset. You haven't done any of us average people any favors with your recent shenanigans so it will be time for payback come next election cycle. Enjoy your playtime while you still have it because you'll be facing retirement shortly.

And don't come back no more.

Friday pussy - pre Halloween edition

We now return you to your regularly scheduled mundane life. Nothing to see here keep shopping.

What's new purry cat? No joy in Mudville that's for sure. Fukushima is still Fuking us. Forget GMOs we have bigger fish to fry. Fear not they'll come pre fried complete with your daily dose of Cesium. It destroys bones 12 ways Mr Wonder bread. Cause after all it's GE that brings good things to death. Who said you had to pass that nuclear reactor design class to make it to the big leagues?

And in other news a 99 year old woman married a 103 year old man. Rather tan say "I do" she probably said "I did"? And would you hurry it up rev we have a hearse waiting outside. Okay okay that's sick but no sicker than the rest of the news.

We now have nasty mosquitoes carrying something akin to west nile virus lurking in California. So forget the fear of gang members or terrorists carrying suspicious packages, have your long sleeves and cans of Deet at the ready the little blood suckers are worse than Dracula. Is it that time of year again? A holiday almost as big as Christmas which has become another waste of resources. But just to get you in the mood or not the following:

It all dates back to Samhain that Celtic holiday celebrating the end of harvest. Bonfires were lit (in essence burning the coming winter in effigy) and as people thought spirits roamed the earth they would dress up in disguise to fool evil spirits into thinking they were one of their own. The original jack o' lanterns were hollowed out turnips with lit candles to keep ghosts and spirits away. Pumpkins soon replaced the lowly turnips and who could forget that unique smell of burning candle wax and charred pumpkin lid at this time of year? Maybe a forgotten memory as now they're made of plastic and lit with LEDs. If you're too cheap for that there's always a free downloadable screen saver. How times change.  

But fear not the scariest thing roaming the earth at the moment are not some ghosts or goblins hiding in the shadows they're right inside the halls of congress trying their best to take away health care, food and the last pennies you have stashed. And no I won't be dressing up in some three corner hat with Red Rose tea bags dangling to try and fool them.

Bank fails later...
UPDATE: No bank fails this week but don't go shopping save your money for the next round of stupid come January.

This isn't the knight of Nea ya know

The more things change the more they stay the same. In reading about the Knights Templar we find the basis for much of today's economic and social mayhem. Seems the names may have changed but the game is the same. There was once slight difference between now and then. Back then it was the sons of noblemen who took up the arms fighting for the cause. While the primary mission of the Templar was said to be military it's infrastructure amassed massive wealth by issuing letters of credit to pilgrims headed to the holy land. A pilgrim would deposit all their valuables at a local Templar headquarters and receive a document stating how much he had deposited. Being an early form of a cheque it was the beginnings of the banking system we have today. With all it's wealth it was able to acquire land and build castles and churches all with other people's money. It became what is now considered the largest multinational corporation of it's day.

It needs to be understood here that this organization was given powers beyond local laws or even the laws of nations. A templar could travel unimpeded anywhere without having to worry about laws or taxes. And it wasn't until the organization divided into other factions that it declined. It's one final defeat at Arwad put an end to it's military mission. Support for the organization dwindled. But it left behind Templar Houses, businesses and a structure of banking that was still used by the locals. Not subject to local government its standing army could pass through any jurisdiction. This frightened European nobility as the organization became a state within a state.

We can see so much of what happened back then repeating itself today. The problem now is that it's the governments' turn to become perverted in it's mission. It has again given all the power to the banks, instilled massive debts on the masses all the while pocketing the benefits of people's hard work. We're back to fighting the crusades with factions in the middle east labeled terrorists. Our standing army moves through those areas unimpeded by local laws. Valuables (money) are still deposited in what are now multinational banks who control the armies. The only thing that's changed is that now governments have taken out loans (bonds) to pay for all the military hardware and left the burden on the taxpayer and the poor and never the nobles in this case. A neat trick when you can control the government and fool the people into voting against their own best interests. 

In a later post I'll get into the Rothchilds ( no tin foil hat necessary) and you'll see how they still play a part although minor now in how the world works and what changed to make their positions a "can't lose" proposition.

Friday Pussy - Scary spice edition

But it's not what's behind you that's truly scary it's what's right in front of you. (And Dave's not here and neither is she.)

Behind us was a stimulus package that didn't quit work. Granted it did slow down the economic bleeding for a while but the bulk of the benefit went to large corporations in the form of tax cuts. With the cash for clunkers and a loan to auto makers we managed to save the auto industry here in the U.S. Yes those were loans and they've all been paid back.

Then there was the sequester an across the board cut to all programs that was supposed to force hands at the budget negotiation table. It did not. And why would it? Those making that decision had no skin in the game. What would they care if some kid in south Hoboken goes without lunch or grandma gets her meals on wheels taken away? The congressional cafeteria never closed and it's a safe bet the cocktail parties never ended through all this. In fact by the looks of it the booze is flowing quite nicely in DC from the judgements these guys are making.

It was once said that to really screw things up use a computer. Think that can be changed to to really really screw things up use congress. Never underestimate the power of stupid because we all though they'd never allow a sequester (cut to programs that benefit you and me) or that they'd be crazy enough to shut the government, but here we are so it's a safe bet anything's possible. People rail against the government until it's their program that's being cut or eliminated. They seem to forget that we're all in this together whether we like it or not. And while the boys on Wall Street are raking in the green backs they'd better take heed because we've been slapped around once too often. They may control congress but we control the purse strings and it won't look too pretty come Christmas if the whole thing goes down the tubes.

So to all of those guys out there who hate government so much please do us a big favor and resign. You'll save us so much money we could hire six workers that actually produce something rather than grab a mic and spew hot air. Don't worry what's behind you, keep a close watch what's in front of you or you might just trip over somebody headed for the exits.

Bank fails later

And oh yes before announcing his exit Jamie Dimon just reported a 400 million dollar loss at JP Morgan Chase. Wonder what kind of bonus he got? 
UPDATE: No bank fails this week so keep shopping.

Tramps thieves and a worn out can

These people are idiots. The right thinks that they can cherry pick what they want to pay and not pay without doing damage to the world economy? Try doing that with your monthly bills and see what happens. When your credit rating tanks you'll land up paying payday loan rates going forward. Now who's the responsible party in the room senator tea bagger?

Fine go ahead shut the whole thing down and I won't pay my bills either. Let's all take a bill paying holiday until next year and see how that works out. And just how many people have died from the current shutdown? Your plan didn't quit work out like you planned did it? Shut everything and everybody will be happy didn't quit work the way you thought. And people may be slow but they aren't as stupid as you may think. Republicans I've talked to are pissed and ashamed of their party. They figured out your little game to steal their benefits. "You can't fool all of the people all of the time" and hum who said that?

So what just happened? While your attention was diverted to the pain and suffering of everyday folks Wall Street was busy raking in more dough. It jacked the market up by selling off gold and then bought hedges against a downturn. The market did just that going from nearly 16000 to 14500 in just a week or so. Once the hedges were cashed out they'll pump it up once again until the next manufactured crisis.

Not to be a scare monger but if you have any T bonds laying around you just might want to cash them in before they become about as useful as toilet paper. Expensive TP at that. The yield on them has doubled over the last week which means they've already lost value. As psychotic as all this sounds it now appears that the republicans are being hoisted by their own petard as the expression goes. Wall Street is now motioning that it's time to put the brakes on this run a way zombie crowd. The monster has pillaged the village but it doesn't look like anyone can stop him. Remember they were the ones who said they were against a shutdown and look where that got us.  

Gad and Halloween isn't even here yet

Forget Dracula the Mummy the Wolfman or Frankenstein. Perish the thought of the snakes, giant radioactive spiders or the Blob, we have the republican party, the scariest thing on the planet to date. No creatures from outer space could wreck such havoc  and they don't need death rays or poison gases to do their dirty work. Not so much as pen to paper does it take to induce more pain and suffering on the world's population. A mere verbal "No" vote and kids get food snatched from their mouths, parents scramble to find day care and those who have nothing to do with any of this get the pink slip or if they're lucky an IOU. Death panels? Hell republicans are the death panel.

Governments were formed to benefit their citizens not to inflict an array of hardships and mayhem. But like a bunch of spoiled brats these guys will trash the planet if they won't get their way. Grow up. We saw what happened when they disced police fire fighters and teachers the last election. If this is their way of gaining support and broadening their base they sure are going about it the wrong way. Americans will be pushed only so far there is a breaking point and I think we're starting to see the beginnings.

Keep it up idiots and see what's inside that corporate donation envelope after you play Grinch this Christmas to the American people. You may be sitting with a stack of green but we got the votes and they aren't for sale. I believe it was Mark Twain who once said something to the effect that congress should serve just four years then be taken out and shot. That way there'd be no revolving door lobbyists to play the system.

Here's an idea. How about we all not pay our bills this month or next? Congress doesn't seem to want to pay theirs. Why should we be any different? Send in a check for zero dollars and no cents with a note "compliments of your federal government". At least that'll keep the postal workers employed.

Kill kill kill

(Tees now available in the lobby in small medium large and extra large)

Mirror mirror on the wall who's the deadliest of them all? Not me that's for sure. Fire up the news and what do we see? I kid you not this is what was being dished out on the web's magic window to the world yesterday in exact order:

8 year old boy kills sister while driving a car

Student accidentally shot and killed by police

Inmate shoots deputy sheriff

Man kills girlfriend and 3 others in Seattle

Man sets himself on fire on the National Mall later dies

Cop killed in India

Four killed in Kenya after cleric is shot

Four people shot in kansas City

People being shot stabbed bombed and gassed, torture seems to be the lesser of evils at the moment. Calgon take me away, oops you just might drowned in the bathtub if somebody doesn't shove the plugged in radio into the bath water first. What's in the drinking water these days anyway? My kingdom for an ounce of kindness. Diogenes where are you? Guess he's busy playing liars poker with the boys.

So where do we go from here? How bad can bad be? That's right there's always worse. And just when you thought things were starting to head in the right direction the rug gets pulled right out from under you. That'll teach you to mix metaphors. The GPS will get you every time. At the end of your rope? (Now made in China.) Fear not it won't hold for long. This may be the end my friend. Pour me another cup of tea. No not the domestic you idiot, the imported, this calls for a celebration. Fire up the grungiest of mayhem tunes. Is that the four horsemen I see riding in the sky? Perhaps not just tornado warnings. Proceed to the nearest shelter and stay tuned for further updates. What fools these mortals be. Film at eleven.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled mundane life.

Friday pussy - raging edition

Road rage seems to be the new pitch fork and torches not to be confused with text driving. And why can't I eat a full course turkey dinner whilst tooling down the interstate? Perhaps a bit of funding of mental health might be in order. They have pills for that don't they?

Okay okay the gal was a single mom with a kid, pregnant and just lost her job wouldn't you be a bit depressed? No clue as to why she would go after the prez, after all he wanted to keep things going. 

To the rethuglicons you are about to get your walking papers from big business if you think that default is a keen idea. Not nice to mess with their profits. They may have bought their hedges against a further downturn but they hadn't calculated the fact that their insurance pool isn't going to cover everybody once the economic storm hits. Insurance is underfunded just like so many pensions. Hum haven't we been down this road once before? (cough cough AIG)

Not much heard from Iraq Afghanistan or Syria so we'll have to look elsewhere for our daily fix of mayhem. The Kenyan mall killings are still fresh but here's a devious tid bit now being reported. The soldiers who did the rescuing decided to help themselves to the malls abundance of goodies stripping clothing from mannequins, ripping open cash registers and even lifting bloody wallets from the dead. Sheesh and it's not even Halloween yet.

What torrent of terror would be complete without some natural disaster bearing down on us? We now have killer Karen swirling her way through the Gulf and seemingly headed for New Orleans once again. Depending on the water temps in the Gulf this will either be something significant or relegated to the back pages near the comic section. As this is happening so late in the season I vote for the latter. 

Lastly while not one bankster has seen the inside of a jail cell here, the Swiss have set out at least to investigate exchange rate rigging. Maybe we could borrow their investigators and uncover the home mortgage fraud that transpired before the statute of limitations runs out. And on that note...

Bank fails later.

Shut up and get off my lawn er, health care!

How stupid can people be?

The Affordable Care Act is law. That is a fact. Nothing the republicans can do now will stop it. And why should they? Not to sound like an ad but we are the last industrialized nation on the planet to have health care for all its' citizens. While it may not be a perfect program it is a start. A beginning of something good when you stop to consider life expectancy in this country has actually gone down over the past years. It reached a peak of 76 for men  and 81 for women or so I'm told. Have to check the exact number later. After further review as they say in football I find that the U.S. ranks 33rd in life expectancy behind such countries as Chile and Kuwait. I suspect those numbers to slid with the recession here in the U.S.

While it will be somewhat expensive at first the costs will go down once more sign up and many are. There were 3 million inquiries the first day. So many that the site crashed. Once the bugs are worked out you can sign up on line or go to an information center where people are there to answer questions. You can even sign up for the exchange here and compare rates based on age and amount of coverage you desire. Maximum they can charge is a bit over 9% of your gross income. If you're low income you get a subsidy. This should solve many problems we now have with the system. Those at the lower end tend to use the emergency rooms as their primary care which is very expensive for minor illnesses. It will also help fund those with more serious illnesses. The younger people may not think this is fair but they too will be old some day and need some type of care and of course accidents and illnesses do happen even to young people. There was a time believe it or not when most health care was non profit in this country, that is until Nixon got his grubby hands on it and started the HMOs (for profit group plans).

The lies. The government does not determine what is covered and who get what treatments. That is determined by the policy you pick. There are no "death panels" where some government agency decides who lives and who dies. What that referred to was life directives, that's you leaving instructions to the doctor or hospital in the event you become so disabled that you could not express you medical wishes. Lie number three is it will make health care more expensive. Maybe somewhat at first as all the bugs get worked out but from what I'm seeing costs are going down. If you happen to have a COBRA plan (extended coverage after getting laid off) you will see that prices in the exchange are less and yes you can switch to the exchange. So while the chicken Littles kept screaming the sky is falling those with half a brain knew that in the long run this would be a good thing. 

But if all this doesn't get your hackles up stop to consider that we the American tax payer are paying for some blob in congress not only a salary to do basically nothing to benefit mankind but for his cushy health care plan while he sits there trying to prevent us from having any.    

Friday Pussy - Herding cats and other fun hobbies edition

(Don't google that unless you're planning on a career in gynecology)

As if life wasn't complicated enough we have bozos in congress trying to play chicken with our lives. Think we've seen two year olds with more smarts.  Where to begin?

Like a Mexican standoff both parties are standing firm on the budget debate. We can only hope that cooler heads prevail but haven't seen the iceman since grandma told me about him when she was alive.

Global warming (or is it climate change?) "might" be man-made. Ya think!? Wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that the planet went from 4 billion to 7 billion in just the last 30 years would it? And the wing nuts want more company as they make abortion and contraception nearly illegal. Scratch that nearly part. That'll do wonders for bottom line. They must have stock in baby formula and diaper companies.

Fear not there'll be more pressing problems coming fellow tree huggers. Let me see there's the swirling masses of garbage in both major oceans to think about and let us not forget it may soon turn radioactive in the Pacific if somebody can't figure out how to plug the leaking nuke plant in Fukushima. Yeah we're Fuked alright.

Ah but there are more pressing problems to consider like how can Miley Cyrus out do herself after swinging naked from a wrecking ball? Guess it's what you have to do when you have no talent. I'm no prude but what's next sex with sheep? Well baa ram ewe baby. 

You got to love the freedom of the net being able to comment as you please (the onion has nothing on this guy) but take heed the powers that be would love nothing better than to shut you up. Net Neutrality and all, yeah right. Very quietly and in the background they are shutting down the beginnings of a new media. People sick of the lame stream media are taking up the cause of getting out the truth and it looks like we're getting under their skin. I don't speak of some tin foil hat blogger sitting in his basement cooking up the latest disjointed conspiracy theory, we're talking about educated average folks who know they're being played by corporate media when they flip on the six o'clock news.

Don't forget to take a solar umbrella I hear the sun is shooting it's load these days. Nothing to fear here as it's been overcast for much of the week. I'd consider fishing but I don't know how much a geiger counter costs. A soon to be necessity around here. Maybe that will turn out in the long run to be a good thing. Get your omega 3s and cure cancer at the same time, who knows?

Lastly we have consumers buying crap again or so they say. I don't buy it (pun intended). I've only seen a couple of new cars on the road of late while those in the neighborhood sit and rust. Banks must be doing well. The one down the street just installed four mega flat screen advertising monitors right after they laid off nearly all the tellers. Hope they provided those that remained with lead underwear because these things are huge.

On that note we have bank fails later...
UPDATE: No bank fails this week so keep shopping.

Random rants for a rainy day

Hump day bump day one day is good as the next. All the same you see. How bad? Nobody really knows. Afghanistan banana stand no bananas today got blown up in the drone hit what's the score today? Six of this half dozen of the other but fear not nobody's keeping score. Keep the stupid news rolling for stupid people. Hey didn't I see you on dancing with the stars? Perhaps not, too busy fighting while in line for the latest and greatest electronic gizmo that's soon to be obsolete in a week or two when they roll out version 2.0. Now comes in platinum! Not falling for their tricks and sure wouldn't wait in line unless it's the grocery store. No options there.

Get back to the grind you slacker! Oops forgot it was sold to the multinational venture capital. Now how can noses be flattened? Worked your butt off did you? You were probably obese anyway now pass the twinkies and hand over the remote somebody said there's a cage match with Oprah and Dr. Phil. Don't tell me there's nothing to do Capt. Kangaroo. Dig up the bones of Michael Jackson and call my lawyer there must be somebody left to sue.

To market to market to buy a fat pig. The speculators beat you to it now it's part of a derivatives contract leveraged all over Asia. The pig died but the paper lives on. That is until the investors catch on. Got a bridge for ya real cheap or perhaps the Eiffel tower would make good scrap metal the choice is yours. 

Slackers unite! Sit back and enjoy the grillings and scourings and scramblings. They scramble to scour then grill the nair do well. Fear not he only gets a fine in the end, a mere slap on the wrist whilst the real criminals are hoisted from the nearest yard arm. That'll teach em not to steal a loaf of bread. Going to steal something then steal the whole bakery, you get a cushy bonus and a plush retirement plan. Haven't we been down this road once before? Bucket shops now replaced with derivative traders it's all the same. Now shut up turn off the car ads and go shopping. Oh I forgot there's not much left in the old bank account and they cancelled your credit cards, so never mind.

What this world needs is an enema

Bombs in Syria bombs in Iraq bombs in Pakistan it's enough to make you want to crawl back under the covers. If guns are said to be so great and the good guys are supposed to protect us from the bad guys then how come they're not? And people seem to have this idea that more guns will make everything better. No Sparky more just makes everything more dangerous. Do you really think you could out draw an intruder when they busted in with theirs already drawn? You couldn't get to the night stand fast enough and by the time you got the safety off he'd fill you full of lead. 

But with today's society stupidity and ignorance rains supreme. Forget the quest for honesty that's been cast out like left over pizza crusts. Rudeness rules the day or didn't you know that you jerk?! No holding back of snide comments or outright insults. But just try and hold someone's feet to the fire for buffoonish behavior and expect a tirade of yet more insults. Don't you dare call me stupid you moron. So I guess we've devolved to the point where if you can't shoot somebody then a verbal raping is the next best substitute. Where did mom go wrong? The stress level is near off the meter and it's only out of sheer necessity that anyone goes out at all especially not at night. You could get shot for just saying hello. Although with a kung fu rapier wit one can get by or at least disarm a situation long enough for a hasty retreat.

Have we moved to a "Clockwork Orange" world where we need to scurry about gathering food with a quick retreat back to our lares? A peek out the drawn curtains to see if the coast is clear? So if you see me coming don't shoot I'm unarmed but I guess that little detail doesn't matter anymore. Okay then one final request of a peaceful candle light vigil or maybe better yet a raucous drunken wake would be more in order. Always wanted to go out with a bang. So fitting for the times.     

Now get off my lawn!

Friday beaver and the "stupid party" Part II

Is it Friday already? And this will be the last fuzzy wet beaver for the season but fear not the pussies are coming.

The carnage on middle and lower class people continues with the House passing the food stamp bill. Fortunately this bill must pass the senate before it gets to the presidents' desk. The "stupid party" doesn't have as much influence there but we've seen some pretty stupid legislation come out of there. We did see the student loan bill emerge from its' bowels  that barely gave young people a fighting chance and god help you if you were after a post graduate degree.

And now we have a Chicago style gun down in a park in where else? Chicago. After DC shootings and Sandy Hook should we be surprised? LaPierres' answer to the problem is more guns. His thinking is if good guys had more guns we wouldn't have this problem. He seems to forget that many gun deaths in this country are the result of accidents and people doing away with a pesky relative or family member. So his stats are a bit wrong and with the stress this country is under we're likely to see more of the same. But that won't stop the whore for the NRA and gun manufacturers from spouting his nonsense. You'd think that the market for guns would be at saturation point with more guns than people in this country but you'd be wrong. I see little need for such items in todays' modern society. Let's face it there aren't wild bears roaming most neighborhoods, indians aren't circling the wagons and there won't be a russian invasion any time soon. But the wing nuts of the extreme right won't let facts get in the way of their armageddon wet dream where their fighting off liberal russian commie bears and their indian and black friends. Throw in a few zombies and vampires and it'll be the next hollywood blockbuster.

What should we really be afraid of as the clock ticks on? We should fear ignorance illness and more wars for these are the things that bring down entire societies. We are at an imbalance never seen before with entire nations being crushed under debt. The game can not continue but don't let that stop the stupid party from spewing their opinions. If you told them it was day they'd say it was night. They never let facts stand in their way. So it's just a matter of waiting for their followers to wake up and realize how played they were and that the party they stood by is giving them the shaft without so much as a thank you.

Okay enough rambling 

Bank fails later....
UPDATE No bank fails this week 

The Stupid party Part I

The "stupid" party is at it again once more trying to rid us of having health care. So my question to you senator or congressman idiot is why should we pay for your health care when you won't  even help pay for ours? Spreading risk is what insurance does to lower costs. When everybody pays a little bit into a system it's a benefit to all. It's why we don't have dirt roads instead of paved highways although they are starting to fall apart because your party doesn't want them repaired. In fact looking back the last 30 or 40 years it was your party that has been the downfall of this country because you have voted in lock step to defund nearly everything good about this country. Pick any area and you'll see it was the "stupid party" that made cuts to everything from education to health care. 

Greed they said was a good thing quoting the movie "Wall Street". No senator greed has not been a good thing. It's why our bridges are falling down. It's why we have no affordable health care. It's why our educational system is becoming the worst in the world and unaffordable. Who after all would want to start out with the equivalent of two mortgages? You were fortunate enough to receive an education when it was subsidized with state and federal monies only to turn around and cut that funding. You then have the nerve to tell us it's our fault that we can't afford it.

Why we even pay your salaries is a puzzlement. You have done nothing the last many years. Being against something is all well and good if you have an idea to replace it but you are devoid of ideas. When the fools that follow you realize that you'd steal their pensions and sell their grandmothers all so you can make another dollar for your corporate backers it will be the end for your little game and that's what it seems to be for you, just a game. You produce nothing of benefit for the nation as a whole. And if you worked like that for any other employer you'd be fired. Why we put up with a party that's sexist and racist and does little to nothing is beyond comprehension. Come on think about one republican bill that's made it through congress since 2008. Why? Because there aren't any. Nothing nada not one idea other than being against everything. 

So maybe we should let you have you way and shut everything down. I could just see your corporate backers howling when their profits came screeching to a halt. No funding means only the required programs continue and that means all of the goodies to your buddies while Obamacare would continue. Nothing like shooting yourself in the foot that is after you take it out of your mouth, but fear not I think Obamacare covers that.   

Just a thought

Wonder if the DC shooter was upset that his pay didn't arrive on time? Seems 40,000 federal workers who had direct deposit weren't paid on Friday due to a computer glitch. http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/09/17/pay-delayed-40000-federal-workers. Either that or one of his friends didn't get paid. At any rate it's a given that he had paranoid feelings against his coworkers. I've seen that develop in the workplace before. A worker thinking that people are plotting against them. 

Now a little background on security and the checks involved. All require reporting of any felony convictions. But it depends on the degree of sensitivity and the area of access. For some government buildings you can't have so much as an outstanding parking ticket and expect access. I know because I've worked at most facilities here. The problem is that much of government work is contracted. Many in the trades do have criminal records but that doesn't necessarily disqualify them. If it did we'd have a hard time getting anyone to get many of the construction jobs completed.

Last I checked firing a weapon in city limits is a finable offense. The number of police reports on out of control people would surprise you, so common now that many aren't even reported. Hearing voices in your head is a mental issue not a police matter and that's they way they look at it. Unless he was armed and threatening at the time the police would just leave. 

Two other points in this case are that the shooter had already received security clearance. Once in the system an individual can have access to where ever they are permitted. And finally with the cut backs and everyone wanting to save money background checks are now outsourced to other contractors.